Presents an introduction to the history of mass media across print, sound, photography and film, radio and television broadcasting, and computers and the internet. Examines the social, political, industrial, and cultural forces behind the development of new media and communication technologies globally, and media's subsequent role as a source of knowledge and tool of power. Emphasis is placed on how new media have both sprung from and caused social changes, and how only by thinking carefully about media, culture, and communication in the past can we hope to understand the pace, direction, and character of social changes today. Offered annually.